Dreams of working from home for many professionals became real during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this has been fun for many people, it has been a challenge to others. Many employees, while working from home, have seen their productivity levels declining due to various factors such as being distracted by kids and pets, noise from neighbours and constructions.
The environment you set for yourself while working from home will determine how productive you will be. Compared to the office, where colleagues and bosses keep you at your toes to meet your set targets in a timely manner, working from home can release this pressure from you and leave you slacking behind.
Here are tips that can make you become productive while working from home.
1. Wake up and start early
The daily commute from home to the office prepares your brain to wake up and be ready to start working once you get to your desk. It can be jolting to the brain to wake later and jump straight to your computer.
Waking up at the same time you normally would and working on your to do list immediately increases your productivity. Sustaining self-motivation and starting on projects early in the morning before breakfast will help you progress throughout the day.
2. Your day at home should be structured like you would in the office
The good thing for most while working at home is that there are no supervisors and colleagues who keep checking on what you are working on. It can be very easy to lose focus and even burn out with such a setting.
Implementing a workable schedule detailing what needs to be accomplished and when it should be completed helps you to stay on focus.
3. Create a work space
Avoid spaces that are associated with leisure, relaxing or other specific non-work related activities. Your brain will want to do exactly what those spaces are meant to do, hence decreasing your productivity. Dedicating a specific room or place at home to perform your daily tasks, such as buying a comfortable chair and desk, will increase your productivity since it will make your brain have the right mindset for work.
4. Work somewhere else
If you are unable to create a dedicated space to work at home, then find a different location away from home. There are many alternatives including libraries, coffee shops and small offices to hire. Look for facilities that are equipped with wifi to make it even easier to remain productive.
5. Plan ahead
Planning ahead of time, preferably a day before, leads to productivity. Many people spend a lot of time trying to set out what they will do, which actually wastes time and prevents you from spending time doing the actual work you are meant to be doing.
6. Work when you are at most productive
Most office setups are structured in a way that prepares your mind to be productive at all times. This may not be the case at home. It is important to know when your brain is productive, and once that has been established, then utilize it and do the most difficult parts of a project during these periods.
7. Connect through technology
While working from home, you may feel left out or like you’re not part of the organization, because of the limited physical interaction with employees. Utilizing technology can make it easier to continue feeling a part if the organization through platforms such as videoconferencing and instant messaging.
8. Share your expectations with people at home
Letting people you live with know in advance that you will be working and also what you expect from them will lead to productivity. The people you live with, when informed in advance on what you will be doing, are likely to oblige with your requests, which will in turn lead to fewer distractions and, hence, productivity.
9. Take breaks
While working from home, you may ignore taking breaks, because it may feel like working in your house is like taking a break from the office. You may also be tempted to take breaks by logging onto social media or watching video clips on your computer, which is harmful to your body. Taking walks outside the house relaxes your mind and body and increases your productivity.
10. Prepare food the night before
Food preparation can end up wasting your time when done on the same day as you intend to work from home. Preparing your meals ahead of time enables you to eat at the specific times you set to do exactly that, and it limits energy that could be spent on non-work-related tasks.
11. Set a finishing time
It can be easy to lose track of time while working from home. Working from home, especially in a comfortable environment, can leave you being engulfed with work to the point of losing track of time. Working the exact number of hours as you would in the office—by setting an alarm to remind you that it’s time to wind up—will increase your work-life balance.